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Herbal Remedies (EYEWITNESS COMPANION GUIDES) Review

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(More customer reviews)Eyewitness Companions has a long list of publications. And this is one that will probably interest many readers. The focus? The title says it all: "Herbal Remedies." I am somewhat skeptical about all the claims made for herbal medicine. On the other hand, I also know that there are some research findings suggestive of real value for some herbs.
Use of herbs to address ills of one sort or another goes way back in time. And such natural medicine is widespread in many parts of the world. The purpose of the book: ". . .'Herbal Remedies' aims to provide you with the essential information to answer [a series of basic questions], to choose safe and appropriate herbal remedies, and to put them to good use."
The book is divided into several chapters--Chapter 1 addresses what herbal medicine is; Chapter two focuses on how to use herbal remedies; the third chapter explores safety and quality; Chapter 4 may be the heart of the book, an A--Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) to Z--Zingiber officinalis (Ginger). The final chapter outlines which herbs go with what maladies (e.g., for a migraine, try Feverfew, Butterbur, or Lavender).
For me, the heart of the book is the enumeration of herbal palliatives. A few examples to illustrate. . . . The miracle of garlic! For medicinal use, the clove is the part used. The clove has several medicinal effects--antibiotic, blood-thinner, antifungal, counters cough and respiratory ailments, decreased blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and nurtures useful intestinal flora. Dosage? One clove a day. Caution: if already taking blood thinners, take garlic only on the advice of an herbal or medical practitioner. The book also notes that there is a fair amount of research testifying to the utility of garlic treatments.
Lavender. Parts used include essential oil, flower, and leaves. It acts as an analgesic, an antidepressant, antiseptic, and sedative, among others. It appears to have some value against headaches. Key information: it is quite safe, it has long been traditionally used as a medicine, and there is some evidence that it might have positive medical benefits.
Sarsaparilla. The root is used. It may serve as an anti-inflammatory agent. Other possible impacts? Anti-rheumatic, detoxicant, diuretic, and tonic. It is fairly safe (4 of 5 stars), used pretty widely traditionally (4 of 5 stars), and open to question as far as efficacy (only 2 of 5 stars).
All in all, an enjoyable volume, and one that suggests how herbal remedies might address a variety of ailments that we all suffer from at one point or another. Especially nice is that the book provides some assessment as to how well research supports the claims for each herb.

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For anyone who wants to learn more about medicinal plants and how to use them at home, Herbal Remedies provides essential information on how to safely use herbal medicines and shows you how to create your own remedies to target common ailments.

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Healing Secrets of the Native Americans: Herbs, Remedies, and Practices That Restore the Body, Refresh the Mind, and Rebuild the Spirit Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this book extremely helpful. I have Fibromyalgia and mixed connective tissue disease which can cause painful muscles and joints, insomnia, and chronic fatigue among other things. By trying a number of the teas from this book I have been much more comfortable and sleeping well without the use of pharmaceuticals. It has been amazing!

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Naturally Healthy Babies and Children: A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition, and Health Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was given to me as a gift and it truly is a gift that keeps on giving. I have referenced this book often and used many of the herbal remedies on myself with much success. This book is easy to read and is packed with information on safe use of healing plants.
When my friends ask me what book I recommend for wholistic health, herbalism or naturally healthy children THIS book is at the top of my list.

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Committed to finding natural ways to care for their children, many parents seek techniques that do not require the invasive procedures and medications often associated with Western medicine. In NATURALLY HEALTHY BABIES AND CHILDREN, midwife and herbalist Aviva Romm offers a comprehensive handbook that addresses the common health issues of children, from newborns to preadolescents. Aviva'¬?s whole-child approach integrates herbal remedies, nutrition, hygiene, and alternative health techniques with supportive, informed parenting. From anemia to whooping cough, each entry includes herbal, dietary, and general recommendations, including tips on when to pursue professional medical care. NATURALLY HEALTHY BABIES AND CHILDREN is indispensable reading for families seeking safe, effective ways to practice healing techniques at home.

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PDR for Herbal Medicines, 4th Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This new edition of the PDR for Herbal Medicines goes beyond the first edition, published in December of 1998. While the first edition was somewhat limited by dated, unreferenced information, this one is much more up-to-date and includes recent references to the literature, such as the St. John's wort interactions with indinavir and cyclosporin that were just published this year. Each entry gives a botanical overview, describes actions and pharmacology, and discusses indications and usage in various medical traditions. There is information on clinical trials, and more material on herb/drug interaction, precautions, contraindications, adverse reactions, and dosage. Having a complete herbal reference is a necessity for physicians and other health-care providers in today's world - whether they want to include some herbals in their armamentarium or merely wish to head off possible herb-drug interactions among the patients who are treating themselves.
A careful reading of the hypericum section, however, revealed that several newer clinical trials were not included, while an old (1994) study remained.
In this reference, the physician would learn St. John's wort taken concomitantly with sertraline may lead to "serotonin syndrome," e.g., sweating, tremor, flushing, confusion and agitation. The likelihood of seeing this effect would be difficult to judge, however, since these anecdotal reports from the literature are taken a face value with little critical appraisal. If we don't know how many patients have taken this particular combination, we have no denominator. The inclusion of all material related to toxicologic effects is good for the sake of a comprehensive overview, but the drawback is to lose the feel for what may really be important. An example is the inclusion of a reference regarding hypericum toxicity when directly incubated with sperm or oocytes. Without pointing out that this very unusual study is not the way reproductive or teratogenic is determined during drug development, the reader may be left with the belief that hypericum showed reproductive toxicity. The reference to an interaction with theophylline might have mentioned that the patient was on a plethora of other drugs and relied on her recollection of events. It might also have mentioned that direct human studies of the 1A2 and 2D6 enzymes found no effect from hypericum. Rather, it stated that hypericum "...may significantly affect plasma concentrations of any drug that is metabolized by the cytochrome P-450 system." This is not supported by data. Also unsupported is the incorrect statement taken from Schultz et al's Rational Phytotherapy that phototoxicity may occur at hypericin plasma concentrations of 50 mcg/mL. This should have read 50 mcg/L (or 50 ng/mL) as the original paper reported. Also not useful is the daily dosage recommendation of 200 - 1000 mcg hypericin for depression; one might conclude that there is evidence for this.
While this book is sold as a mainstream reference it may be somewhat daunting for the layman. It's well-organized style and the provision of recent scientific and medical references will make it a useful starting place for more in depth research for health-care professionals. Perhaps the publication of an erratum could be recommended.

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The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World's Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs Review

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(More customer reviews)Since I began making and using herbal remedies in 1980 I have been very concerned at the lack of reliable information. Pop and self-help books on herbalism suffer from excessive vagueness (if they are conservative and the author is trying hard to avoid lawsuits) or irresponsible promulgation of superstition (if the author is clumsy, credulous, or ignorant). On the other hand, publications dealing with formal studies of bioactive compounds of plants tend to be inaccessible to the public. There have been very few books that I (as a Ph.D. student in botany as well as a bit of an herbalist) feel comfortable in recommending. This one is at the top of the list.
Nobody can beat James Duke at comfortable pop-level communication combined with solid, informed good judgement. In this book he gives practical preparation and dosage suggestions -- something the too-careful books don't do. He also provides clear, definite cautions on drug interactions and side-effects.
My only criticism of Duke's book is that he may be a bit too confident when he suggests combining several herbs at once to treat some conditions. Folklore and formal studies may provide reasonable dosage guides for individual herbs. But no single folklore or ancient system encompasses, at once, medicinal plants of South America, China, and Europe. Combining herbs that have not been traditonally used, nor clinically tested, in such combination, is not something I would advise to a general audience.
Nevertheless I rate this book very highly. I don't know how many copies of the previous edition I bought to give to people: teenagers, undergraduate college students, my old hippy friends, my father, doctors, and various people who ask me about medical botany.
We all owe Duke a great deal for his tremendous work and his true desire to help others.EVERYONE, without exception, who is interested in medical botany from a practical standpoint, should have this book.

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Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes Review

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(More customer reviews)Grow Your Own Drugs is filled with (mostly) easy to make recipes--all from natural ingredients that are readily available. The book is also beautiful to look through, making it more likely you will feel motivated to actually try many of the recipes. The book covers beauty recipes, and recipes to make you feel better or cure what ails you.
I have been waiting for this book to be available in the States, as a friend from the UK had been raving about it.
I already use (almost) only natural/organic beauty products and drugs, but look forward to replacing some store-bought with home made. Furthermore, I cook from scratch and make most of my cleaning products from scratch. Finally, I do use essential oils and flower essences to help alter my moods and for medicinal purposes--and they work. (For example, lavender is calming, tea tree for blemishes, etc.) So, Grow Your Own Drugs this is a natural step forward for me.
I also like that the author, James Wong, is a scientists who has also studied the properties of plants around the world--this is no hobbyist! (As someone who has dabbled with the property of plants, I recognize many of the cures as those that are well established.) So, I feel comfortable will his advice and recipes.
A quick look shows me that I already have many ingredients necessary to get me started on making several recipes, including one for inflammation, sore throats and for the upcoming season--bee stings.
Highly recommend.
Author of HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT.

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The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs Review

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(More customer reviews)In fairness to the authors, this is a potentially useful book if you do not have any other books by Mark Blumenthal and you do not subscribe to periodicals by the American Botanical Council. It is far from the best of in its field, because it is given to restating the vocabulary rather than giving meaning, as in this description of milk thistle:
Hepaptoprotective; reduces serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and transaminases (ALT, AST), reduces triglyceride in serum; reduces malondialdehyde...
This is simply the ploy used by herbalists with a more limited grasp of technical terminology. One herbalist might say, "flushes the liver," which is meaningless, while these herbalists say, "reduces serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase," which is meaningless to most readers and of very limited clinical value to practitioners. Reduces GGT how? Through action on hepatocytes? By maintaining plasticity? By introducing variation in laboratory measurements without beneficials changes to tissue? Can we assume our patients are better if their GGT titers are reduced?
Dr. Blumenthal obviously reads and writes. He sees a scientific fact, rephrases it, and adds a citation. This may be impressive, but it isn't useful. And the focus is exclusively herbal. Physicians would be much better served to read Murray & Pizzorno's textbooks on naturopathy than this long vocabulary exercise.

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*National Continuing Education Credit for Physicians, Physician Assistants, Osteopaths, Pharmacists, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Dieticians, and Naturopaths
*400+ page self-paced course/reference including comprehensive clinical monographs, clinical overviews, patient information sheets, and references for 29 widely used herbs and additional information on numerous proprietary multi-herb products.
*Comprehensive clinical studies table for each herb including brand names of the products studied
*Important information on safety and drug interactions

Each in-depth clinical monograph covers: Overview, Description, Primary Uses, Dosage, Duration of Administration, Chemistry, Pharmacological Actions, Mechanism of Action, Contraindications, Adverse Effects, Drug Interactions, Safety Rating, International Regulatory Status (broken down by country), Clinical Review, and a Clinical Studies table, including the most up-to-date clinical research on each herb.The Clinical Studies Table covers: author/year, subject, study design, duration of study, dosage administered in study, preparation used, and a summary of the results and conclusions made from the study.

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Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to 550 Key Herbs with all their Uses as Remedies for Common Ailments Review

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(More customer reviews)With the wide selection of books on herbal uses confronting the average herbalist or curious reader, how is one to choose which resource is best? The answer is that it is impossible to use only one resource. Chevallier's books come close to being the one resource to use for employing herbs for medicinal purposes, but because the misuse of herbs can be deadly, I rely on a variety of material and crossreference my applications. In other words, if anyone says an herb has proved poisonous, I am careful. ....
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBAL MEDICINE (EHM) by Andrew Chevallier is an update of his book THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MEDICINAL PLANTS (EMP). EHM covers most of the same plants as EMP, but contains more up-to-date information from various sources conducting research on the properties and uses of herbs, including herbal systems in other parts of the world such as the U.K. and Germany, (i.e. not exclusively reliant on the actions of the FDA or USDA for all it's information).
EHM, as did EMP before it, includes one of the largest selections of plants for medicinal uses. Not all the plants are botonacally speaking "herbs." Black Cherry, for example, is a tree, but like many other trees has constituent parts that may be used for medicinal purposes, and therefore viewed as an "herbal" remedy for certain conditions (chronic dry, irritable coughs!!)--or kill you if you ingest an excess. ....
EHM is not much concerned with the manufacture of floral sachets or assembly of ingredients for pot pourri, or how to lay out your herbal garden for that matter. In fact, my suspician is that the average EHM reader will probably consult the health food store for herbal items, and not grow herbs in the back yard or try to harvest them in the nearest park. ....

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Eclectic Institute Inc Kava Nakamal Juice 425 Mg Review

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(More customer reviews)I found Kava Nakamal to be an excellent product..so easy in a capsule, and being pure too, a wonderful herb. But my sad experience was that my third shipment was confiscated by customs officials here in Australia, and they would not allow me to gain access to it, as it is classed as a prohibited substance in bottled capsule form, unless you have a full licence (access scheme) filled out by your doctor. Now what doctor would do that? I didn't have any idea of this as they already let 2 shipments go through. If you want to import Kava to Australia, you have to fill out a lengthy form provided by the TGA, and then only you can order just the Raw Kava (not bottled) up to 2kgs a month (something like that). I found Kava Nakamal to be a great aid for relaxation, anti-anxiety, calming nerves and not killing the brain in the process. Thumbs up.

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